The Southwest Airlines Rewards Visa is a rewards credit card for people who routinely fly Southwest Airlines. There is a generous signup bonus currently being offered to new cardholders. However, the annual fee of $99 is not waived and will be applied to the first billing statement. The Southwest Airlines Rewards Visa is part of the Visa Signature network and is issued by JPMorgan Chase.
New card members have the opportunity to earn 25,000 Bonus Points upon approval for the card. Please note that this offer is not available to current cardholders or previous card members who received a new member offer within the past 24 months. To qualify for the bonus points, you must make at least $1,000 in eligible net purchases during the first three months that your account is open. Net purchases are considered the total amount of transactions minus any credit and/or returns. Additionally, balance transfers, cash advances, cash-like charges such as money orders, traveler’s checks or foreign currency, or any fees associated with the account are excluded. It may take 6-8 weeks for the bonus points to post to your account. To be eligible for this offer, your account must be open and in good standing.
New cardholders can also earn one point for every $1 in balance transfers (up to 15,000 points) made within the first 90 days of opening your account. Balance transfer fees still apply.
Members earn points at the following rates with the Rapid Rewards Program:
- 2 points per dollar spent on direct purchases from Southwest Airlines flights and on Rapid Rewards purchases at participating hotel and car rental partners
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Rapid Rewards Preferred Partners include the following hotels:
| Marriott | Spg- Starwood Preferred Guest |
| Choice Privileges | Best Western |
| La Quinta Inns & Suites | Hyatt |
| Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group | MGM Resorts International |
Car rental partners include:
| Alamo | Avis |
| Budget | Dollar Rent a Car |
| Hertz | National Car Rental |
| Payless Car Rental | Thrifty Car Rental |
There is no cap on the amount of rewards points you can accumulate in the Rapid Rewards Program. Plus, as a card member, you enjoy these benefits:
- Points never expire as long as your account is open and in good standing
- First and second checked bags always fly free (weight and size limitations apply)
- No change fees (fare differences may apply)
- Unlimited Reward Seats
- No Blackout Dates
Points can be redeemed for flights (including international), hotel stays, car rentals, as well as merchandise and gift cards.
As of July 2015, Southwest Airlines has scheduled flights to 95 destinations in 41 states, Puerto Rico and abroad. Southwest is headquartered at Dallas Love Field (DAL) and has 15 other focus cities (rather than hubs). It operates more than 3,400 flights per day.
The focus cities are:
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Baltimore (BWI)
- Chicago (MDW)
- Denver (DEN)
- Houston (HOU)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Milwaukee (MKE)
- Nashville (BNA)
- Oakland (OAK)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Phoenix (PHX)
- Louis (STL)
- San Diego (SAN)
- Tampa (TPA)
Cardholders receive 6,000 Bonus Points each year on the anniversary date that the account was opened.
Members earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points (TQPs) for every $10,000 in purchases made on the card. Qualifying Points are capped at 15,000 per calendar year. These points are used solely towards elite status qualification.
The annual percentage rate on purchases is 15.99% variable and based on the Prime Rate. This same rate also applies to balance transfers. Members are charged a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the total amount of the transfer (whichever is greater).
Card members enjoy Visa Signature benefits such as:
- Travel Accident Insurance
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
- Roadside Assistance
Certain restrictions and limitations may apply to any or all of these benefits.
Members are not charged foreign transaction fees when using the card outside of the U.S.
The Southwest Airlines Rewards Visa comes with Smart Chip technology for added convenience and security (especially important when traveling overseas).
The annual membership fee for this card is $99 which is applied to the first month’s billing statement.
The Facts
Below we have broken down the details of the Southwest Airlines Rewards Visa to help you decide if it’s the right card for you.
The Good:
Signup bonus:
New account holders have the opportunity to earn 25,000 Bonus Points upon approval. Note: This offer is not available to current card members or previous members who received a signup bonus within the past 24 months. To qualify, you must make at least $1,000 in net purchases within the first three months that your account is open. Net purchases are defined as the total amount of transactions minus any credit and/or returns. Balance transfers, cash advances, cash-like purchases, as well as any fees (including the annual membership fee) do not qualify as purchases.
Once the 25,000 Bonus Points post to your account (6-8 weeks from the date you meet the spending threshold) they can be redeemed for one roundtrip flight. All taxes and government fees are the cardholder’s responsibility.
Earn points for balance transfers:
New cardholders can earn one point for every $1 in balance transfers (up to 15,000 points) made within the first 90 days of opening your account. Balance transfer fees still apply.
Simple Rapid Rewards points program:
Card members earn points at the following rates:
- 2 points per dollar spent on direct purchases from Southwest Airlines flights and on Rapid Rewards purchases at participating hotel and car rental partners
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Numerous redemption options:
Points can be redeemed for domestic and international flights to over 800 destinations worldwide on 50+ global carriers as well as for hotel rooms, cruises, car rentals, merchandise, and gift cards.
No cap on points:
There is no limit on the amount of points you can accumulate with the Rapid Rewards program.
Additional travel benefits:
Card members enjoy these perks:
- Points never expire as long as your account is open and in good standing
- First and second checked bags always fly free (weight and size limitations apply)
- No change fees (fare differences may apply)
- Unlimited Reward Seats
- No Blackout Dates
Bonus Points on account anniversary date:
Card members receive 6,000 Bonus Points each year on the anniversary date that your account was originally opened. Your account must be open and in good standing to receive these bonus points. Your annual membership fee must also be paid.
Earn Tier-Qualifying Points:
Big spenders can earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points (TQPs) for every $10,000 in purchases made on the card. Qualifying Points are capped at 15,000 per calendar year. These points are used solely towards elite status qualification.
No foreign transaction fees:
Members are not charged foreign transaction fees when making purchases outside of the U.S.
Smart Chip enabled:
The Southwest Airlines Rewards Visa has the latest smart chip technology for added convenience and security.
The Bad:
Annual fee:
The annual membership fee for this card is $99 which is applied to the first billing statement.
Harder to qualify:
Generally, a very good credit score (720+FICO) is needed to be approved for the Visa Signature version of this card. Chase openly discloses that when you apply, you will first be considered for the Visa Signature card. If you do not meet their qualifying standards, you will automatically be considered for a Visa Platinum Card. These cards have different credit lines and benefits. Some applicants will not receive any card.
No introductory rate on purchases or balance transfers:
The APR for both purchases and balance transfers is 15.99% variable (based on the Prime Rate). This makes the card a less-than-desirable choice for moving high-interest credit card balances.
The Ugly:
The Southwest Airlines Rewards Visa is designed to give the greatest benefits to people who travel often – routinely flying Southwest Airlines. If Southwest is not your airline of choice, you will probably find it hard to effectively accumulate points and fully realize the perks of this card. The one point reward on all other purchases is fairly low so look at your spending habits and determine which type of rewards card will give you the greatest return based on your personal situation.
The bottom line is that if you are loyal to Southwest and want to earn travel rewards even faster (plus earn points on everyday spending), this card delivers solid value.